Defining Moments Essay Sample

I learnt some ethical lessons from the video and the reading. I learnt that I can encounter situations where the making of decisions based on ethics becomes very difficult. There are situations where I will have to choose between two right decisions. The two choices are both attractive, but they have implications. I will need to look at the two conflicting choices, and recognize that the two are both right despite the tension between them. My feelings will enable me to understand the issue at hand, and identify the stakes. My intuitions and feelings can act as sources of insights for the dilemma.
In the reading, am impressed with Lewis and his determination. His values are deep rooted based on the events in his life. He wants to gain professional success, but at the same time he wants to earn his status (Badaracco, 2015). In my case, I would have chosen to go to the meeting as a token. Nobody would be harmed by my actions, and I would enable the company to get the deal. In return, I would advance in my profession. It was hard for Lewis to spend 30 hours going through all the details of the presentation, and he ended up getting a headache while giving his presentation (Badaracco, 2015). I would look at the chance of attending the meeting as an opportunity for me to get assigned to future projects.
The video presents a case where a boss is torn between maintaining confidentiality and telling his friendly employee not to take up mortgage because he is about to get laid off. As a manager maintaining confidentiality is the right thing to do. As a friend, it is right to advice the employee that this may not be the right time to take up mortgage. Both choices are right, but they are in conflict with each other. If I were the boss, I would advise my friend not to take up the mortgage. I strongly believe in maintaining friendship, and looking out for my friends.
I would apply some of the insights I gathered from the video to the issue of the Marine Corps Afghanistan Deployment. The Corps had returned home after staying in Afghanistan for a period of 13 years. The 13-year war period saw a lot of the marines die, and many others suffered major injuries. The operation was aimed at ensuring that the US citizens were safe from the terrorist attacks that the rebel groups in Afghanistan had set in motion. Deploying the Marine Corps to Afghanistan is the right thing to do, but then there is the concern about the safety of the Marine soldiers. It is right for a Marine soldier to want his own safety and it is also right for a Marine soldier to want the safety of the US citizens. The two rights are conflicting. In my case I would choose my own safety. I have family members who would be greatly affected by my death.

The three most significant values that define me are as shown below:

Dedication: Am a very dedicated person and I focus all my energies in what I do. I only make choices that I know I can fully execute.
Honesty: Am a very honest person, and I prefer telling people the truth even if they do not like it. I carry out all my activities with honesty.
Dependability: People are able to rely on me. Am responsible for my family, and whenever I make choices in life, I have to factor them in so that I do not let them down.

Works Cited

Badaracco, Joseph L. The Discipline of Building Character. Harvard Business Review. 2015. Print.